{Nurture} Go on, spoil someone today...

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” 

- Maya Angelou -

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{Go girl} What a day of puddle splashing and toddler tantrums can teach you...

I'm not sure who was most excited about spending a day at the Winter Wonderland at Stockeld Park - me or my nephews, Alfie (4) and Finn (2).  What with polar bears, an enchanted forest, a helter skelter, ferris wheel and (stop press) Father Christmas, it was sensory overload. 

It all started well - awe at the forest's talking tree, the excitement of jumping wellington-feet first into muddy puddles, giddiness of running around the maze (despite the many dead ends!), stunned into silence by the big man with a "bowl full of jelly" but, as they say, all good things come to an end.  When hunger pangs mix with feeling the chill of the biting winds, and not to mention tired little legs, things can quickly take a turn for tantrum-town.  And I love it!!

They are so expressive!  At the points when they were excited by the puddles, rides and running over bridges we found in the maze, they were so full of joy.  Maaaaan, life could NOT be better! 

Then there was the polar bear - the queue couldn't move fast enough for Alfie and Finn to get close to the walking, talking polar bear they spied with excitement as we entered the park.  Then, when we got closer, the excitement turned to doubt - silent, sulking doubt.  Hilarious! 

And have you ever seen a sunny disposition turn to dark clouds more quickly than a hungry toddler?  That spaghetti bolognese wasn't there pronto and so we were all treated to the bottom lip from one and a cool aloofness from the other.  I was busy having a silent chuckle to myself, while my sister and her hubby tried to entertain and pacify both boys until the slow-mo waiter finally arrived with the goodies.  Comedy gold.

One day with the gorgeous pair was such a breath of fresh air.  I'm so used to moderated behaviour.  Being (or acting) the way a professional, responsible grown-up should.  Being aware of what you say, how you say it and, the dead giveaway, body language for fear it may not be, what's the word... appropriate.  Bottling up anything on the sliding scale of uncontrollable giddiness to sheer anger and frustration if it's not the right environment to showcase these beauts.  In a nutshell, compromising that puddling-jumping you inside.

Throw off the shackles.  Dance wildly to music you love.  Devour your food like there's no tomorrow - who cares if it ends up around your mouth?  Express delight and excitement loudly and forget the carefully considered diners on the next table.  Scream and shout if something is just wrong.  And, if all else fails, feel free to sit in silence and sulk.

Have a childlike Tuesday x

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Q&A inspiration with... English Mum

With a saunter around Becky Wiggins online home EnglishMum, there's evidence a-plenty of the self-professed nurturer at work.  Recipes for soda breads, cinnamon buns, slow-roasted pork and the odd cocktail or two, sit alongside straight-from-the-heart accounts of her home-life and travels.  Home economist, blogger, wife and mum, and deservedly short-listed for the Red's Hot Women Awards, I'm delighted that Becky shared a little about her best life for the spring-cleaned Inspiration Monday!

Tell me a little about you and your blog...

I'm a mum to two teenagers and very proud wife to a pilot.  I work as a home economist, recipe tester and developer, but my blog seems to be taking up more and more of my time! We live in the home counties with a very disagreeable cat and a slightly neurotic greyhound.  I'm very much a home body and you'll find me in the kitchen, usually.

What is your vision of your best life?

I think I'm more or less living it!  As I get older it seems to me that it's less about how much money you make and what material things you have and more about being comfortable in your own skin and happy.

Can you tell us about some of the challenges/obstacles/fears you've faced and how you've tackled them?

We moved to Ireland a few years ago because of my husband's job.  It was tough leaving my family and friends and, although we settled, we missed home.  Recently we've moved back and I'm the living embodiment of the phrase 'home is where the heart is'.  I'm back where I belong!  Sadly we've had to leave our beautiful home behind, but it's made me realise that without the people you love, it's really just bricks and mortar.

Have you ever thought you had everything planned, only for life to show you an alternative?

All the time!   We'd just bought a house and were quite settled when the hubby's job came up in Ireland but we coped, and lived there reasonably happily for a few years.

Has there been a 'defining moment' that has changed your life/your view of life?  Or a series of events?  What has been the nudge in the right direction for you?

I don't know about a 'defining moment', but when my husband lost his job in Ireland he had to come back to the UK without us to find work.  We lived apart for a few months and it really made me realise that what I wanted was to be a mum and a wife, and everything else was secondary.  I'm a nurturer!  Once we were back together, everything fell into place - my blog's continued to grow in popularity and I'm loving my life now.

If you were to look back and offer advice to your younger self, what three pearls of wisdom would you share?

Don't worry what other people think of you. It's important just to be yourself. If they don't like you, they don't like you.  You should never try to change to be what somebody wants.

Cherish the people you love.  It's so easy to take our family and friends for granted, and having lost some of those really dear to me, it's made me really conscious of keeping in touch and making an effort.

Don't stay in a job that makes you unhappy or because it's what somebody else wants.  Pursue something that makes you happy!

What book, piece of music, blog, quote or person inspires you the most?

I have a friend called Erica, who writes a blog called littlemummy.com.   She's an incredible entrepreneur and is really inspiring.  She's also a great sounding board when I feel my life's going a little off track. She always seems full of creative solutions.

{Take action} Be you

"It takes a lot of courage to grow up and be who you really are." 

e.e.cummings

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{Quality time} All the fun of the festive fair

Excited crowds at the Christmas market.  The smell of gluwein, sugary crepes and spicy goulash in the air.  Generous measures of red wine in cosy Nordic bars.  Oh, and a little playful moment on the carousel...